Import and export expense calculation apparatus

Abstract

An import/export expense calculation apparatus assisting optimal-location purchasing of materials in a global production framework, and a method thereof. The import/export expense calculation apparatus includes: an input unit for receiving contract information, local price, and import/export expense information; a storage unit holding a master table storing the import/export expense information, and a calculation table storing import/export expense ratio calculation logic; a calculation unit calculating the landed price, from the local price of the material, based on input information; a display unit displaying the calculated landed cost; and a communication unit transmitting the landed price to a factory procurement apparatus. The calculation unit standardizes the currency unit for the local price at the importing-side and the landed price of the material based on currency exchange information, and calculates a lead time of the material based on lead time calculation information.

1. An import and export expense calculation apparatus according for assisting international procurement of a material, said apparatus comprising:
 a storage unit operable to store (i) a master table which stores basic import and export expense information, and (ii) a calculation table which stores import and export expense ratio calculation logic, the basic import and export expense information including entry data for use in calculating an import and export expense, and the import and export expense ratio calculation logic including logic for calculating, using the basic import and export expense information, an import and export expense ratio related to an import and export of one piece of material; 
 an input unit operable to receive contract information related to the material and a local price of the material at an exporting side; 
 an import and export expense ratio calculation unit operable to (i) obtain, from the master table, the basic import and export expense information corresponding to the received contract information, and (ii) calculate the import and export expense ratio according to the import and export expense calculation logic by using the obtained basic import and export expense information; 
 a landed price calculation unit operable to calculate a landed price by adding an import and export expense to the local price; and 
 a display unit operable to display the landed price calculated by said landed price calculation unit, 
 wherein the master table includes any of: standard packing size information; exporter information; importer; number of days of export warehouse storage; export warehouse expense information; export margin information; export interest information; number of days of interest advance by exporter; export expense information; transportation expense information; marine insurance information; import expense information; number of days of import warehouse storage; import warehouse expense information; import interest information; number of days of interest advance by importer; and import margin information, 
 wherein the export warehouse expense information, the export margin information, the export interest information, the export expense information, the transportation expense information, the marine insurance information, the import expense information, the import warehouse expense information, the import interest information, and the import margin information are stored in the master table as percentage values on a per material basis, 
 wherein the calculation table identifies entries included in the import and export expense ratio, 
 wherein the entries include an entry corresponding to the basic import and export expense information and include an entry represented by a formula using the basic import and export expense information, 
 wherein said import and export expense ratio calculation unit is operable to calculate, as the import and export expense ratio, a sum of respective percentage values of the following information stored in the master table: the export warehouse expense; the export margin; the export interest; the export expense; the transportation expense; the marine insurance; the import expense; the import warehouse expense; a stock point transportation expense; the import interest; and the import margin, and 
 wherein said landed price calculation unit is operable to calculate the landed price using, as the import and export expense, a price obtained by multiplying the local price by the import and export expense ratio calculated by said import and export expense ratio calculation unit. 
 
     
     
       2. The import and export expense calculation apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the master table includes at least one of the following: standard packing size information; exporter information; importer information; number of days of export warehouse storage; export warehouse expense information; export margin information; export interest information; number of days of interest advance by exporter; export expense information; transportation expense information; marine insurance information; import expense information; number of days of import warehouse storage; import warehouse expense information; import interest information; number of days of interest advance by importer; and import margin information. 
 
     
     
       3. The import and export expense calculation apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 lead time calculation information, which (i) indicates information on a number of days it takes from order placement to delivery of the material and (ii) is input via said input unit, is stored in said storage unit; and 
 said import and export expense calculation apparatus further includes a lead time calculation unit operable to obtain the lead time calculation information and operable to calculate a lead time of the material. 
 
     
     
       4. The import and export expense calculation apparatus according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein the lead time calculation information includes at least one of procurement lead time information, part procurement lead time information without logic lead time information, distribution lead time information, and storage lead time information. 
 
     
     
       5. The import and export expense calculation apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 currency exchange rate information is stored in said storage unit; and 
 said import and export expense calculation apparatus further comprises a price conversion unit operable to obtain the currency exchange rate information from said storage unit, and operable to standardize currency units of (i) a local price of the material at the importing-side and (ii) the landed price, based on the currency exchange rate information. 
 
     
     
       6. The import and export expense calculation apparatus according to  claim 5 ,
 wherein said display unit is operable to simultaneously display the local price and the landed price according to the standardized currency units. 
 
     
     
       7. The import and export expense calculation apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a communication unit operable to transmit the landed price to a purchase contracting apparatus from which a user makes a purchase contract for purchasing the material. 
     
     
       8. The import and export expense calculation apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the entry corresponding to the basic import and export expense information stored in the calculation table includes: the export margin information; the export expense information; the transportation expense information; the marine insurance information; the import expense information; the stock point transportation expense information; and the import margin information; 
 the entry represented by the formula using the basic import and export expense information stored in the calculation table includes: the export warehouse expense information; the export interest information; the import warehouse expense information; and the import interest information; 
 said import and export expense ratio calculation unit is operable to calculate, as the import and export expense ratio, a sum of respective percentage values of the entry corresponding to the basic import and export expense information and the entry represented by the formula using the basic import and export expense information; and 
 said landed price calculation unit is operable to calculate the landed price by adding, to the local price, a price obtained by multiplying the local price by the import and export expense ratio calculated by said import and export expense ratio calculation unit. 
 
     
     
       9. The import and export calculation apparatus according to  claim 8 ,
 wherein the master table includes:
 a standard packing size information table for storing, for each category of the material, a volume unit-price corresponding to each respective category of the material; 
 a number-of-days-of-warehouse-storage information table for storing the number of days of warehouse storage, on a per country basis; and 
 a warehouse expense table for storing, on a per volume unit-price and a per country basis, a warehouse expense corresponding to the volume unit-price, 
 
 wherein the contract information received by said input unit includes:
 a country in which a procurement base location is located; and 
 the category of the material, and 
 
 wherein said import and export expense ratio calculation unit is operable to:
 retrieve, from the number-of-days-of-warehouse-storage information table, the number of days of warehouse storage corresponding to the country, in which the procurement base location is located, included in the contract information input through said input unit; 
 identify, from the standard packing size information table, a volume unit-price corresponding to the category of the material included in the contract information input through said input unit, and retrieve, from the warehouse expense table, a warehouse expense corresponding to the identified volume unit-price; and 
 calculate the export warehouse expense using the number-of-days-of-warehouse-storage, the warehouse expense, and a formula, stored in the calculation table, for calculating the export warehouse expense. 
 
 
     
     
       10. The import and export expense calculation apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said landed price calculation unit is operable to:
 calculate an exporting country shipping price by adding the local price and a price obtained by multiplying the local price by a sum of respective percentage values of the export warehouse expense information, the export margin information, the export interest information, and the export expense information; 
 calculate a shipping and insurance inclusive price by adding the local price and a price obtained by multiplying the local price by a sum obtained by adding respective percentage values of the transportation expense information and the marine insurance information to a sum of respective percentage values used in calculating the exporting country shipping price; and 
 calculate the landed price by adding the local price and a price obtained by multiplying the local price by a sum obtained by adding respective percentage values of the import expense information, import warehouse expense information, and the import margin information to a sum of respective percentage values used in calculating the shipping and insurance inclusive price. 
 
     
     
       11. An import and export expense calculation method for assisting international procurement of a material, said method comprising:
 storing (i) a master table which stores basic import and export expense information and (ii) a calculation table which stores import and export expense ratio calculation logic, the basic import and export expense information including entry data for use in calculating an import and export expense, and the import and export expense ratio calculation logic including logic for calculating, using the basic import and export expense information, an import and export expense ratio related to the import and export of one piece of material; 
 receiving contract information related to the material and a local price of the material at an exporting side; 
 obtaining, from the master table, the basic import and export information corresponding to the received contract information, and calculating the import and export expense ratio according to the import and export expense calculation logic by using the obtained basic import and export expense information; 
 calculating, using a computer processor, a landed price by adding an import and export expense to the local price; and 
 displaying the landed price calculated by said calculating of the landed price, 
 wherein the master table includes any of: standard packing size information; exporter information; importer; number of days of export warehouse storage; export warehouse expense information; export margin information; export interest information; number of days of interest advance by exporter; export expense information; transportation expense information; marine insurance information; import expense information; number of days of import warehouse storage; import warehouse expense information; import interest information; number of days of interest advance by importer; and import margin information, 
 wherein the export warehouse expense information, the export margin information, the export interest information, the export expense information, the transportation expense information, the marine insurance information, the import expense information, the import warehouse expense information, the import interest information, and the import margin information are stored in the master table as percentage values on a per material basis, 
 wherein the calculation table identifies entries included in the import and export expense ratio, 
 wherein the entries include an entry corresponding to the basic import export expense information, and an entry represented by a formula using the basic import and export expense information, 
 wherein in said calculating of the import and export expense ratio, the import and export expense ratio is calculated using a sum of respective percentage values of the following information stored in the master table: the export warehouse expense; the export margin; the export interest; the export expense; the transportation expense; the marine insurance; the import expense; the import warehouse expense; a stock point transportation expense; the import interest; and the import margin, and 
 wherein, in said calculating of the landed price, the landed price is calculated using, as the import and export expense, a price obtained by multiplying the local price by the import and export expense ratio calculated in said calculating of the import and export expense ratio. 
 
     
     
       12. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program for assisting international procurement of a material, said computer program causing a computer to execute a method comprising:
 storing (i) a master table which stores basic import and export expense information and (ii) a calculation table which stores import and export expense ratio calculation logic, the basic import and export expense information including entry data for use in calculating an import and export expense, and the import and export expense ratio calculation logic including logic for calculating, using the basic import and export expense information, an import and export expense ratio related to the import and export of one piece of material; 
 receiving contract information related to the material and a local price of the material at an exporting side; 
 obtaining, from the master table, the basic import and export information corresponding to the received contract information, and calculating the import and export expense ratio according to the import and export expense calculation logic by using the obtained basic import and export expense information; 
 calculating a landed price by adding an import and export expense to the local price; and 
 displaying the landed price calculated by said calculating of the landed price, 
 wherein the master table includes any of: standard packing size information; exporter information; importer; number of days of export warehouse storage; export warehouse expense information; export margin information; export interest information; number of days of interest advance by exporter; export expense information; transportation expense information; marine insurance information; import expense information; number of days of import warehouse storage; import warehouse expense information; import interest information; number of days of interest advance by importer; and import margin information, 
 wherein the export warehouse expense information, the export margin information, the export interest information, the export expense information, the transportation expense information, the marine insurance information, the import expense information, the import warehouse expense information, the import interest information, and the import margin information are stored in the master table as percentage values on a per material basis, 
 wherein the calculation table indicates entries included in the import and export expense ratio, 
 wherein the entries include an entry corresponding to the basic import export expense information, and an entry represented by a formula using the basic import and export expense information, 
 wherein in said calculating of the import and export expense ratio, the import and export expense ratio is calculated using a sum of respective percentage values of the following information stored in the master table: the export warehouse expense; the export margin; the export interest; the export expense; the transportation expense; the marine insurance; the import expense; the import warehouse expense; a stock point transportation expense; the import interest; and the import margin, and 
 wherein, in said calculating of the landed price, the landed price is calculated using, as the import and export expense, a price obtained by multiplying the local price by the import and export expense ratio calculated in said calculating of the import and export expense ratio.